Folding crate



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. H. BARTELS.

FOLDING CRATE.

No. 449,193. Patented Mar. 31, 1891.

A A TTORNE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. E. H. BARTELS. FOLDING CRATE.

(No Model.)

Patented Mar. 31,1891.

ERNST II. BAR'TIIS, ()F

FFICE.

DIETERICII, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,193, dated March31, 1891.

Application filed January 10, 1 891.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNST H. Bnarnns, a citizen of the United States,residingat Dieterich, in the county of Effingham and State of Illinois,have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Poultry Coops; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved poult ry-coop, and particularly to afolding poultry-coop, its objects being a simple, durable, andeconomical poultry-coop that will occupy but little space when compactlyfolded.

To these ends myinvention consists in certain features of construction,to be hereinafter described, and then particularized in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved poultrycoop. Fig. 2 is aplan view, parts beingbroken away. Fig.3 is an end view. Fig. 4 is acentral transverse section of Fig. 2. Fig.5 is a side View. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the coop folded.

a designates the bottom board of the coop, and b and c are side and endstrengtheningstrips, respectively, secured to and above the sides andends of the bottom a.

The inwardly-folding ends (I of the coop are somewhat set in from theends of the bottom and secured to the side strips 17 of the bottom byflap-hinges d, and are composed of horizontal slats e and insidevertical cleats 0', preferably secured together by nails. Projectingupwardly from the top slat e, midway of each end cl, is a staple f, fora purpose to be hereinafter referred to.

The inwardly-folding sides g of the coop are flush with the sides of thebottom a when vertical, and are secured to the end strips 0 of thebottom by means of flap-hinges h, situated outside of the folding endsd, and are composed of horizontal slats t' and inside vertical cleatst", preferably secured to each other by nails, the end cleats 11 fittingoutside of the folding ends cl when folded up, so as to prevent thelatter from being pressed outwardly. The upper inner edges j of the upper slats i of the folding sides are beveled, so

Serial No. 377,342. (No model.)

as to match with the bevels 7c of the outer slats of the folding topsections in. These slats are connected together by cleats n, and the topsections are secured to the folding sides by means of flap-hinges m. Thetop sections are separated by a space a. IVhen the top sections arefolded down from each side, the end cleats will n fit outside thefolding ends similarly to the end cleats of the folding sides. The topsections fold against the outside of the folding sides when the coop isfolded, and not against the inside, as theycannot be folded inwardlybelow the horizontal. The top sections are secured in position by meansof pivoted hooks 0 on one top section at o and p on the other topsection at 1), so that there is a pair at each end of the top of thecoop. 'The respective pairs of hooks engage a single staple f, and areso arranged that their hooked ends are presented in opposite directions,so as to engage the staples from opposite sides.

On one side of each of the central cleats a of the folding top sectionsis a downwardlyswinging door q, that extends across the sections, andeach door consists of upper and lower metallic strips 7' and bars 5,connected by said strips and a diagonallyextending metallic bracestript. Staples a, driven into the under sides of the top sections, passthrough the top metallic strips of the doors, whereby they are hinged soas to swing down. hen the doors are down so as to separate the coop intotwo parts to contain different kinds of poultry, their lower ends arereceived between a pairof cleats 1 2*,extendingacross the bottom of thecoop.

In folding the coop the hooks o p are disengaged from the staples f, theends (2 folded inwardly, the sides 9 folded inwardly upon the ends, thetop sections m folded outwardly upon the sides, and the doors (1 foldedagainst the under sides of the top sections, where they are fastened bymeans of pivoted buttons 20, engaging the diagonal braces 25. The foldedcondition of the coop is shown in Fig. 6.

To secure the parts in folded condition, I provide the hooks to, whichare pivoted at a, to the strips 0 at the bottom of the coop. IVhen thecoop is in use or set up these hooks engage staples y in the strips 0,so as to be prevented from swinging around; but when the coop is foldedthey engage staples in each end of each top section m.

' .I am aware that it is old to construct folding poultry-coops somewhatafter the nature of my invention, and I do not claim such coops,broadly; but

that I do claim as new, and desire to soon re by Letters Patent, is-

1. -In a folding poultry-coop, the combination of the bottom providedwith strips on its upper side at its edges, the ends, hinges secured tothe ends and the side strips of the bottom, so that the ends may foldinwardly, the sides, hinges secured to the sides and the end strips ofthe bottom, so that the sides may fold inwardly upon the folding ends,and the outwardly-folding top sections hinged to the sides,substantially as set forth.

2. In a folding poultry-coop, the combination of the bottom provided ateach end with a pair of pivoted hooks, thcinwardly-folding ends'andsides hinged to the bottom, and the outwardly-folding top sectionsprovided at each end with staples to be engaged by said hooks when thecoop is folded, as set forth.

3. In a poultry-coop, the combination of the bottom, ends, and sideswith the folding top sections hinged to the sides, doors hinged to saidtop sections, so that when swung down they will separate the coop intocompartments, and a pair of cleats extending across the bottom andreceiving between them the lower ends of the doors,'substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNST I-I. BARTELS.

\Vitnesses:

MARTIN WENDT, T. (l. HARRIS.

